Breathe Deeply
Posted by Philip Lewis on November 24, 2002
Q: Compare how any fish breathes to how a human breathes
A: Of course, both humans and fish need oxygen but humans get their oxygen from air while fish get theirs from water. Fish take in mouthfuls of water and this passes over the gills and out of the gill slits (openings on each side of the head). As the water passes over the gills, the oxygen enters the fishís blood stream. Humans, on the other hand, bring air into their lungs by expanding their chest. As their chest expands (gets larger), air rushes in through the nose (or mouth) and into the lungs and this is where the oxygen enters our blood.
You can probably say that fish respiration is more obvious ( you can see what most fish are doing) than respiration in land animals, including humans.
John Wiessinger ( November 26, 2002)